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  • 4/5 stars

    “I’ll spend the rest of the evening enjoying a potato. And by ‘enjoying’ I mean ‘hating so much I want to kill people.’”

    For a baked potato recipe significantly better than anything Mark Watney enjoyed, click here.

    The Story: 
    Mark Watney has been abandoned on Mars. Accidentally. Now, he must figure out a way to survive for four years until the next NASA mission to Mars. Watney proves to be the McGyver of space, constantly rigging solutions to his increasingly deadly obstacles.

    My Take: 
    The book is told largely from Watney’s perspective through his Logs, which acts like a journal. About three pages in, I had the horrifying thought that I’d just started a nearly four hundred page book that would turn out to be a dull and depressing story of a lone man on Mars. Wrong. Watney’s humor and endless creativity, however, had me laughing and gawking. The science was explained thoroughly enough that I could appreciate the complexity of what Watney was doing, but simple enough that with my limited science background (uh-hum, none) I could get the gist of what was happening. I’m in awe that anyone, the author included, is clever enough to think up these problems and solutions. I would have been dead within the hour if I’d been the one left behind. Let’s face it. I wouldn’t have made it up there in the first place.

    Spoilers begin here. You have been warned. 

    Memorable Moments: 
    Watney’s most clever solution to a life-threatening problem:
    After effectively turning the Hab into a hydrogen bomb, he figured out how to burn it off and preserve the potato plants. Granted, he blew up half the Hab in the process, but the fact that he figured it out blows my mind.
     
    What did you think was his most clever solution?

  • “I started the day with some nothin’ tea. Nothin’ tea is easy to make. First, get some hot water, then add nothin’. I experimented with potato skin tea a few weeks ago. The less said about that the better.” —The Martian by Andy Weir

    For my review of The Martian, click here.

    Inspired by Mark Watney’s creativity with a potato, I tried my hand at a new recipe. While I don’t know that I can compete with a freeze dried potato dipped in Vicodin, I’m positive this Thai twist on a traditional baked potato is better than his potato skin tea. It’s easy to whip up and, if you manage to have leftovers, the chicken is delicious spooned over a bed of rice.

    The chicken is best if allowed to marinate overnight, so plan ahead!

    Yield: 4 servings

    Prep time: 10 minutes; Cook time: 60 minutes; Total time: 1 hour 10 minutes

    Ingredients:

    2 to 2 and 1/2 pounds of boneless skinless chicken breasts (I used 3 breasts)

    2 bell peppers (I use 1 red and 1 yellow), sliced

    2 cups of sliced mushrooms sliced

    4 tablespoons of warm water

    1/2 cup of peanut butter

    2 tablespoons of brown sugar

    2 tablespoons canola oil

    3 tablespoons red curry paste

    2 tablespoons curry powder

    1 tablespoon of ginger

    1/2 cup of soy sauce

    juice of 2 fresh limes

    14 oz can coconut milk

    4 medium sweet potatoes

    Serving Suggestions:

    chopped cashews or peanuts

    fresh cilantro

    Directions:

    1. Place your chicken, bell peppers, and mushrooms in a gallon size plastic bag (or your preferred container for marinating meat).
    2. In a medium bowl, microwave 4 tablespoons of water until warm. It doesn’t need to be boiling. It just needs to be warm enough to help whisk the peanut butter. Whisk in the peanut butter, brown sugar, canola oil, red curry paste, curry powder, ginger, soy sauce, lime juice, and coconut milk.
    3. Pour the marinade into the plastic bag with your chicken. Place the plastic bag on a plate or in a small casserole dish so you don’t end up with chicken juice and marinade all over your fridge in case of spillage! Marinate overnight (or at least 4 hours). I like to flip the bag over in the morning so that the chicken gets evenly marinated.
    4. Once the chicken is properly marinated, adjust your oven racks so that one is in the center and another is near the top. Preheat the oven to 400°. While the oven is preheating, pour the chicken and vegetable mixture, along with the marinade, into a greased 9X13 pan. Cover with tinfoil.
    5. Scrub the sweet potatoes clean and stab each a few times with a fork. Place the sweet potatoes on an ungreased cookie sheet.
    6. Once the oven has preheated, place the sweet potatoes on the top rack and the chicken to the center rack. Back for 50 minutes.
    7. After 50 minutes, remove the chicken and vegetable mix. The best way to check the chicken is to cut it open. The juices should be clear and the meat should not be pink. Check your potatoes by stabbing them with a fork. If the fork goes through the center easily, they are done. Mine needed to cook another 10 minutes.
    8. While the sweet potatoes are still cooking, remove the chicken breasts and shred them. You can do this with two forks, pulling the meat apart. I put mine in my KitchenAid with the paddle attachment .Yes, it works. Watch it carefully, though, or you’ll end up with chicken…threads. It only takes about 20 to 30 seconds.
    9. Add the shredded chicken back to the dish of vegetables and marinade. Mix together.
    10. Pull the sweet potatoes from the oven and check again to make sure they’re finished.
    11. Serve immediately while everything is hot. Slice the sweet potato lengthwise down the center. Heap the chicken and veggies on top, including a bit of the sauce. Garnish with fresh cilantro and a some chopped cashews or peanuts for a nice crunch.
    12. To store, extract the chicken and veggies with a slotted spoon into a sealed container. You’ll get some of the juice this way. You don’t want to pour all of the juice in or you’ll end up with all the chicken fat as well, which doesn’t keep well.
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  • 5/5 stars

    The Story:

    A slave in the Endovier salt mines, eighteen-year-old Celaena Sardothien is one day released by a royal guard and presented to the crown prince who invites her to participate in the King’s competition seeking a Champion. Why her? Because she was once the country’s greatest assassin. Sponsored by the womanizing and flawless Crown Prince Dorian Havilliard, trained by the also handsome though less politically refined Captain of the Royal Guard Chaol Westfall, Celaena prepares to compete against 23 men for the spot as the King’s Champion. In the midst of hiding her true identity, recuperating from a year working as a slave underground in the mines, training for her competition, and staying in the competition, Celaena must also battle a darkness that’s threatening the castle.

    Sarah J. Maas creates a diverse and action-packed fantasy world and one example of that diversity is the main character, Celaena. She’s physically strong, mentally tough, and has a soft spot for the finer things in life. I’ve gathered some of my favorite scenes that demonstrate Celaena’s sometimes hilarious character.

    Spoilers begin here. You have been warned. 

    Favorite Scenes:

    1. She has a wicked sweet tooth. I felt like Maas had listened in on a conversation between me and my husband when I read this scene.

    He picked up the brown bag of candy on the table. “What’s your…” He trailed off as he weighed the bag in his hands. “Didn’t I give you three pounds of candy?”

    She smiled impishly.

    “You ate half the bag!”

    “Was I supposed to save it?”

    “I would have liked some!”

    “You never told me that.”

    “Because I didn’t expect you to consume all of it before breakfast!”

    She snatched the bag from him and put it on the table. “Well, that just shows poor judgement on your part, doesn’t it.”

    1. She doesn’t take crap from anyone. After taunting her, Verin is sent into the ring to face Celaena.

    Verin picked up his sword, shaking his blond curls out of his eyes. “Let’s see what you’ve got.”

     She stalked toward him, keeping her sword sheathed at her side. Verin’s grin widened as he lifted his blade.

     He swung, but Celaena struck, ramming her fist into his arm, sending the blade soaring through the air . . . [Celaena soundly defeats Verin] . . . The hall was utterly silent.

     “Mock me again, she spat at Verin, “and I’ll do that with my sword the next time.” She turned from him, and found Brullo’s face slack. “Here’s a lesson for you, Weapons Master,” she said, stalking past him. “Give me real men to fight. Then maybe I’ll bother trying.”

    1. She’s loyal. A common trend in YA lit is for the main female character to be isolated from other females and to focus on her relationships with men. This doesn’t always have to be negative, but it cheapens female relationships and sends a message that the character is better than other females because anything associated with femininity is weak and bad. Celaena, however, values her female friends, especially Nehemia. During the final duel, Chaol offers her his sword (don’t get me wrong. Swoon. Team Chaol. Dorian is a womanizing floozy). She accepts Nehemia’s for what it represents and, I would argue, for their friendship.

    The sword, obviously, was the wiser choice–and for Chaol to offer his own weapon made her feel strangely lightheaded—but the staff . . .

    Nehemia leaned in to whisper in Celaena’s ear. “Let it be with an Eyllwe weapon that you take them down.” Her voice hitched. “Let wood from the forests of Eyllwe defeat steel from Adarlan. Let the King’s Champion be someone who understands how the innocents suffer.”

    1. She looks out for the underdog. Literally, in this case.

    Nehemia pointed to the corner. “Is that dog sick?” . . .

    “It’s not sick,” Dorian said. “It just has a foul disposition. It won’t come near anyone–human or canine.” . . . “If it won’t respond to humans, then it will have to be killed,” Dorian said offhandedly, and a spark went through Celaena.

    “Kill it? Kill it? For what reason? What did it do to you?”

    “It won’t make a suitable pet, which is what all of these dogs will become.”

    “So you’d kill it because of its temperament? It can’t help being that way! . . . I won’t let you harm it.” 

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  • 5/5 stars

    “A few dim memories flashed through my mind. A shallow dish of cooked beets, the slippery feel of them between my fingers as they stained my hands red.”

    See here for a Siege and Storm inspired borsch recipe.

    The story:

    Siege and Storm  continues Alina Starkov’s journey to master her new found powers as the Sun Summoner while chasing a legendary creature that could magnify those powers. News of the Sun Summoner is out, though, and thrones are vying for her strength. Alina must choose which side she is on.

    The second installment of Leigh Bardugo’s Grisha Trilogy is a heartbreaking story of cost and sacrifice. As a suspenseful sequence, I’m struggling to say much without giving away everything, especially for those who haven’t even read the first book yet. And so, without further ado…

    Spoilers begin here. You have been warned.

    My take:

    I love Mal and Alina together, the way they look out for one another and just their friendship that makes up the meat of their relationship. They are connected to one another so much so that the Darkling tells Alina, “You two make it so easy. I prick him, you bleed.” Mal struggles with Alina’s new position, though, and for once does not “bloom where he’s planted,” as Alina claims he always does. In fact, the inverse becomes true. While Aline has “always been more of a weed,” she blossoms at the Little Palace the more she’s able to practice her powers. While Mal is resourceful, strong, and stubborn, he becomes useless and weak at the Little Palace. He’s always been the big fish in a little pond, but the pond just got much bigger and he falls apart then grows apart from Alina.

    I’m convinced that there’s no way this trilogy can end well for the two of them.

    Click here for my review of book one, Shadow and Bone.

  • “I thought again of my few memories from before Keramzin, of the dish of sliced beets, my fingers stained red with them.”

    Here’s my Siege and Storm inspired borscht recipe. See my book review here.

    A few notes about ingredients. You will grate the beets and carrots. It needs to be a coarse grate, though, or you’re going to end up with a stringy soup, which just isn’t appetizing. If you don’t have a way to grate the vegetables, I would julienne them.

    Also, fresh dill is a must for this recipe. And you’ll want plenty of it! I use a packed half cup in my recipe. You can feel free to add more if you’re a big dill fan. (Or less, if that’s how you roll).

    This recipe does have several elements, so it’s best to chop, grate, measure, and prepare everything before you start.

    Savor the earthy flavors while reminiscing childhood memories of Keramzin.

    Yield: serves 6

    Prep time: 20 minutes; Cook time: 60 minutes; Total time: 1 hour 20 minutes

    Ingredients:

    2 pounds of boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed

    2 tablespoons flavorless oil (canola, vegetable, etc)

    10 cups water

    3 large red potatoes (or any type that you prefer), cubed

    1/2 head cabbage, chopped

    2 pounds beets, peeled and coarsely grated

    1 pound carrots, peeled and coarsely grated

    28 ounce jar spaghetti sauce (I always make my own, but your favorite jarred variety will work fine)

    1/2 packed cup fresh dill, chopped

    Salt for seasoning

    Sour cream, for serving

    Directions:

    1. Heat 1 T of oil over medium heat in a large frying pan. Add the cubed chicken and sauté for about ten minutes until the chicken cooked through.
    2. While the chicken is cooking, combine chopped potatoes and chopped cabbage to 10 cups of water in a large stock pot. Stir in a heaping 1/2 T of salt before setting on high heat. Bring to a boil.
    3. Once the chicken is cooked through, add the grated beets and carrots to the frying pan. Season with 1 t of salt. Cover with lid and cook for an additional ten minutes, stirring occasionally. The lid should plenty of moisture, but if the vegetables and chicken are looking dry, add 1/2 to 1 T more oil.
    4. Once the vegetables are limp, stir the spaghetti sauce into the chicken and veggies mixture. Cook, covered with lid, for an additional 5 minutes and then 5 more minutes without the lid.
    5. Carefully ladle the now thick vegetable and chicken mixture into the boiling pot of potatoes and cabbage. Add 1/2 cup chopped dill. Reduce heat and allow the soup to simmer, covered, for a good 30 minutes.
    6. Enjoy hot with a dollop of sour cream.
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  • “…on the fourth day he comes into the room with an honest-to-God hamburger on a hot, homemade bun and a side of roasted potatoes. It’s the first real food I’ve had since escaping Camp Ashpit. It’s also a freaking hamburger, which I haven’t tasted since the Arrival and which, I think I’ve pointed out, I was willing to kill for.”

    Here’s my recreation of a cozy, meaty, apocalypse worthy burger as inspired by The 5th Wave, Evan’s homemade buns included. The best part? Each element is super easy, including the buns. See my book review here!

    I’m sorry if Evan wasn’t there to personally deliver your burger. On the bright side, at least you’re not sitting in bed recovering from a gunshot wound.

    No-Knead Hamburger Buns

    There’s nothing worse than wanting to make homemade bread and realizing that if you wish to make it for a post-work dinner, you won’t be eating until 9 p.m. This recipe is so flexible because it rises in the fridge. You can make it in the morning before you leave for the day and cook them when you get home. And it’s no-knead so the assembly is fast and easy. I imagine Evan would have found it particularly helpful. Spend the morning taking care of Cassie, whip up his bread dough, head out to slaughter some humans animals, and back home to finish off the bread. See? Flexible.

    Adapted from the Joy of Cooking

    1/4 cup of warm water

    1 packet (2 and 1/4 teaspoons) yeast

    1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter

    2 tablespoons sugar

    1 and 1/4 teaspoons salt

    1 cup steaming hot water

    1 large egg

    3 and 1/4 cup of unbleached all-purpose flour + extra for dusting

    1. In a liquid measuring cup combine 1/4 cup of warm water with a packet of yeast (or 2 ¼ teaspoons of yeast). Set aside and allow yeast to dissolve.
    2. Cube a half stick of butter and place in large bowl. Add 2T of sugar and 1 and 1/4t of salt. Then pour 1 cup of steaming hot water over the bowl. Wisk until the butter, sugar, and salt are dissolved.
    3. Add the yeast mixture. Now beat in 1 large egg.
    4. Add 3 and 1/4 cups of flour to your mixture. Mix with a rubber spatula.
    5. The dough will be quite wet and will not hold its form. That’s okay. Transfer the dough to a large greased bowl and cover with greased plastic wrap.
    6. Let rise in the fridge for 2 to 12 hours.
    7. Prepare a baking sheet. I prefer to lay parchment paper on my baking sheets. Greasing is fine.
    8. After your dough has risen to double its size, pull from the fridge and sprinkle the top with flour. Punch the dough down and roll it into a thick rope on a large and lightly floured surface. Cut the dough into 10 equal pieces.
    9. Keep your fingertips well floured for this part! The dough will be quite sticky. Pick up each section of dough and while cupping it in one palm, use your other hand to rotate the ball of dough in clockwise circles while tucking the edges underneath. Do this quickly and don’t put too much thought into it. Once you have a round ball, place it on the cookie sheet. Repeat for all 10 rolls, giving the rolls ample distance on the cookie sheet. I placed 5 rolls on each sheet and they were still a little tight.
    10. Preheat oven to 425°
    11. Allow buns to rise for 30-45 minutes until they’re double in size. Many hamburger bun recipes recommend adding an egg wash before baking, only for appearances sake. The egg wash destroyed my rise when I tried it during trial runs, so I wouldn’t recommend it.
    12. Bake for 15-18 minutes and enjoy!

    Roasted Sweet Potatoes

    1 sweet potato

    1/2 tablespoon olive oil

    1/2 tablespoon rosemary

    1/2 teaspoon salt

    1/4 teaspoon oregano

    Cracked pepper for seasoning

    1. Preheat the oven to 450°
    2. Prepare a baking sheet. I prefer to lay down parchment paper. Greasing is fine.
    3. Cube 1 sweet potato.
    4. Drizzle with 1/2 T olive oil. Toss with 1/2 T rosemary, 1/2 t salt, 1/4 t oregano, and cracked pepper.
    5. Bake for 35 minutes. Give the potatoes a stir half-way through the cook time. Test with fork to see that the centers are soft.

    The Burgers

    Adapted from Bobby Flay

    1 pound 20% lean hamburger meat

    Salt and pepper

    Toppings of your choice. Here’s what we used:

    • Over easy eggs
    • Bacon
    • Avocado
    • Pepperjack cheese
    • Mayo, ketchup, spicy mustard
    • Tomatoes
    • Romaine Lettuce
    1. Begin heating a cast iron skillet on the stove. You will want it at medium heat. If it’s too hot, you’ll get a burnt coat surrounding a raw center.
    2. Weigh 4 ounces of ground beef. Shape into a patty, leaving a small depression in the center of the patty.
    3. Season each side of the patty with salt and pepper.
    4. Lay down the patties on the sizzling skillet. Don’t smash the burger! Just leave it. For 6 minutes. Then flip it and leave it again for 4 minutes. The timing depends on how big your burger is and how done you want it. It’s recommended with ground beef that you cook the burger all the way through. My first round I did 5 minutes the first side and 3 the second side. It was a very rare burger.
    5. You may place a slice of cheese on top of your burger during the last minute of cook time. I opted to put our sliced buns with cheese under the broiler for a minute.
    6. Place the burger on the bun and decorate with your toppings of choice.
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  • 3.5/5 stars

    “I would kill for a cheeseburger. Honestly. If I stumbled across someone eating a cheeseburger, I would kill them for it.” 

    See here for a 5th Wave inspired burger recipe.

    The Story: 

    After an alien attack on earth separates sixteen-year-old Cassie from her younger brother, she’s on a mission to save him. The 5th Wave is a suspenseful story chock-full of plot twists and plenty of teenage angst.

    My Take: 

    My husband and I read this book out loud together, which was a fun experience. He’s a student on the same campus where I work, so we would spend the morning drive reading and then the walk to work musing, “What’s going to happen?” “Wait, was he an alien?” “No, so and so is definitely an alien.” “Nuh-uh!”

    We also had a great time analyzing the characters and their underdeveloped prefrontal cortex motivations.

    If you’re familiar with Gretchen Rubin’s Happier podcast, she has a segment at the end of each show in which she and her sister dole out a “gold star” and a “happiness” demerit. In this spirit, I would like to assign my own gold stars and demerits.

    Spoilers begin here. You have been warned. 

    Evan Walker

    Creepy-Stalker Demerit

    Best-Chef-In-An-Apocalypse-Setting Gold Star (The kid made bread in an outdoor fire oven. That’s mad skills.)

    Cassie Sullivan

    Fluff-Brain-When-Hot-Creepy-Stalker-Walks-In-The-Room Demerit

    Loyalty Gold Star (I don’t have a little brother, but I may have possibly considered leaving him to the aliens).

    Ben Parish

    Brain-Washed Demerit (Come on, Ben! Chris was definitely not an alien.)

    Getting-The-Tough-Girl-To-Smile Gold Star (I retract that statement. Another demerit. You’re in the middle of battle, Ben! Get your head in the game and stop worrying about Ringer’s smile.)

    Sammy Sullivan

    Gold stars all around for adorableness and precociousness.

  • picture of a fur hat, red scarf in the snow and the book Shadow and Bone placed on top of the items.

    Loves:

    1. Fresh fantasy world with Russian influences
    2. Tender love story between dynamic characters
    3. A plot to save…or end…the world

    Find my review of book two, Siege and Storm, here.

    Story:

    Leigh Bardugo’s Shadow and Bone tells the story of Alina Starkov, a scrawny orphan girl who’s in love with her devastatingly handsome best friend, Mal. As a soldier serving her war torn country, Ravka, Alina prepares to cross the “Unsea,” an area of land covered in darkness and populated by flying monsters called the Volkra. Trying to protect herself and Mal when their convoy is attacked, Alina discovers a power she didn’t know she had, making her a member of the elite Grisha, the people who practice magic (but don’t call it magic to their faces, they call it the “Small Science”). Now, the Grisha leader, the Darkling (enter tall, dark handsome potential love interest number two) believes Alina’s power is the answer to saving Ravka from the power of the “Unsea.”

    Spoilers begin here. You have been warned! 

    Favorites:

    The main character, Alina Starkov.

    Spunky and bold, Alina is a character I can get behind. Even after being dragged to an unfamiliar place and being bossed around, Alina stands up for herself. When the intimidating Darkling tells her what to do, she questions him. Some may argue that she falls for the Darkling’s game too easily when he starts to woo her— it fits her character, though. She’s bristly, but she was also a neglected orphan. The one love interest she ever had, Mal, treated her more like one of the guys than a girl. Why wouldn’t she fall for the powerful, handsome, smooth man?

    She grows throughout her journey as well. She may seem like a passive damsel, doing whatever the Darkling wants and moping after Mal most of her life, but she lets go of Mal. Without any resentment, she recognizes that she was stifling her power all of her life. She also recognizes that Mal neglects her, calling on her when convenient for him. (“But Mal never got her letters!” you may argue. She doesn’t know that. She’s standing up for herself while under the impression that no matter how much she cares for Mal, she’s not going to get anywhere pining after him).

    Critiques:

    Once Alina can summon light on her own, she picks everything up really fast. Such as at the end of the novel when she pulled out “the cut” (cue, “ooooh, aaaaah”) without any previous training. I would have liked to see her fine honing her skills.

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Rebecca